Table 2. Effect of bisphosphonate therapy on bone mass density in osteopenia.

BMD: bone mass density, FIT: fracture international trial, FOSIT: Fosamax international trial, P = Pearson value

Study	Drug of choice vs placebo	Duration of study	Subjects	Results (Drug of choice vs placebo)
Pols HA et al. [29] (FOSIT)	10mg oral alendronate per day.	1 year	Postmenopausal women with BMD <2.	BMD were significantly (P < 0.001) greater in the treatment group by 4.9% at the lumbar spine, 2.4% at the femoral neck, 3.6% at the trochanter and 3.0% for the total hip.
Cummings SR et al. [30] (FIT)	5 mg oral alendronate per day for two years followed by 10 mg per day for the remaining period of the trial.	4.2 years	Women aged 54 to 81 years with a femoral neck BMD of 0.68 g/cm2.	BMD was significantly (P < 0.001) greater in the treatment group by 3.8% at the femoral neck, 3.4% at the total hip, 8.3% at the lumbar spine.
Chesnut CH et al. [35]	Oral ibandronate administered either daily (2.5 mg per day) or intermittently (20 mg every other day for 12 doses every three months).	3 years	Postmenopausal women with a BMD T score < –2.0 with 1 to 4 prevalent vertebral fractures.	BMD was significantly greater in lumbar spine by 6.5% for daily ibandronate treatment group and 5.7% in an intermittent ibandronate treatment group. A significant increase in hip BMD was also observed.
Mortensen L et al. [38]	Oral risedronate 5 mg per day daily or oral risedronate 5 mg cyclically for two years followed by one year off treatment.	3 years	Early postmenopausal women with normal BMD.	At the end of the second year of the study, the mean increase in BMD of the lumbar spine was 1.4% from baseline in the daily risedronate treatment group and a decrease in lumbar spine BMD of 1.6% in cyclic risedronate treatment group. At the end of the second year of the study, trochanteric BMD at the hip increased by 5.4% in the risedronate 5 mg daily group and by 3.3% in the risedronate 5 mg cyclic group. During one-year treatment-free period bone turnover was increased and lumbar spine BMD was decreased in all three groups.